How Stupid Are We? Why, QUITE!

[ninjapoodles]

After the red fox wiped out 22 of our Buff Orpingtons last month, leaving us with only 5 12-week-olds, we are beginning again with a mess of peepers--mostly Buff Orp pullets again, but also a good mess of cockerels, both Buff Orps and White Rocks, and a handful of Marans.

So the basement playroom currently has two large brooders going--one is home to 50-some-odd chicks and the other to 13 Narragansett turkey poults who are going on 4 weeks old. The chicks' brooder right now is open at the top, since they're only a few days old. The turkeys' is covered with chicken wire to keep the little buggers in, this after we discovered one happily lounging in a trash can the other day.

Well, tonight, we were down there just filling feeders and cleaning waterers and stuff, and got distracted when my mom called to say she was stopping by for a minute. We finished up what we were doing, turned out the basement lights, and shut the door...LEAVING THE DOG SHUT UP INSIDE. Which dog? Why, the big one. The one in my avatar there. Delta, the confirmed chicken-killer-and-eater (from back at my old place, where there were feral hens).

We visited with my mom for the better part of an hour, never even missing the dog, until Mom left and we heard Delta barking from the basement. I heard Alex say, "OH, NO!" and go out to the basement, only to return a minute later with a very happy, excited Delta in tow.

My stomach just dropped. "Did we shut her up in the BASEMENT?" I cried. Alex nodded. I just took a deep breath, and asked, "The baby chicks--did she eat them all?" He answered, "Nope." I squinted at him. "How many did she get, then?" Alex said, "Not a one." I asked, "The TURKEYS?" No turkeys, either, Alex reported. She was so upset at having been left behind, that she must have stood at the top of the stairs crying to get out the entire time she was in there.

I still can't believe our dumb, dumb luck, and I had to share our miracle story. I'm rather in shock. I really might just be too stupid to raise poultry.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Wow, i wouldn't say how stupid are you, i would say how lucky are you! Very cute dog, though. We had a standard poodle growing up. i loved him.

Sorry about your poor buff orps.

And when my husband next complains that i have too many chickens, i plan on telling him about you and your 50 chicks and 13 turkeys. That should quiet him down.

 

[ninjapoodles]

Extremely lucky. I mean, this dog's prey drive is, um, up there. Fortunately for us, so is her neurosis at being separated from her people.

Oh, and the fox slaughter? Happened only because we failed to lock up the chicken yard and engage the electric fence that night. Left the door wide open, lost almost all of our young ones.

I'd have said we were getting smarter, until we locked a predator in with a veritable buffet of McNuggets.

When he gets a little further along, I'll start posting pics of the turkey habitat that my husband is building. It's a bit...ambitious. 14-foot roof, for one thing. I'm just keeping quiet and letting him do what he wants.

And when that's done, I'll bring home the dairy goats.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Ninjapoo, the chick's guardian angels must have been on high-alert with their swords drawn during that precarious hour!!! So glad everybody was okay.

 

[thechickenchick]

Thats a cute story! I am so glad it all worked out.

 

[ninjapoodles]

Alex said that when he went down there, he could barely open the basement door because she was smooshed up against it. Maybe we don't know the whole story...perhaps those scary, scary chickies terrorized the poor doggie for that entire hour!

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Same thing happened to me! I got distracted and left TWO cats locking in my basement with my one day old chicks for over three hours! I thought for sure that they were dead! Not one! They did'nt take one! WHEW we are much more careful now!

 

[jenjscott]

Luckier than me. I left my chicken killer in the house and inadvertantly left the door to the poult brooder room open. She came running out of the room when we came in the house. She injured one so badly it died within minutes, and another one we had to put down.

 

[asher]

Oh gosh! Very lucky!!!

I find myself wondering what I was thinking getting other animals after the chickens. Both of my dogs (mini x toy poodle and mini dachshund) just want to play with the chickens and bunnies...and that's so not a good thing. *sigh* And the cat...yeah...the cat likes to make the bunnies squeal.

Mind you, none of them are out there together so that they can get them, but they sure do like to torment them!

 

[pbjmaker]

I must be pretty lucky then. I have a big dog and 3 cats. 2 of the cats are major hunters with one specializing in birds. Yet none of them have hurt any of our "pet" chicks and a rabbit we used to have. I did catch one cat in the brooder once (kid left the door open) but she was just watching them. No I don't trust them alone with the babies because of this - just think they know what is safe to hunt and what is our "pets". Maybe they smell us on the baby chicks?